Memorial Garden
About the Garden
The Shir Hadash Memorial garden offers members a permanent way to honor the memory of loved ones. Designed by artists Richard Deutsch and Larry Kirkland, the garden is a beautiful, serene, outdoor space featuring a spiral walkway, lovely garden spots and elegant curved granite walls. The garden is designed to be a tranquil oasis where families come to quietly reflect and remember loved ones.
Names of loved-ones are normally engraved twice a year. On Sukkot and Shavuot, following the Yizkor service, a special ceremony is held in the memorial garden. In addition to the reading of psalms and prayers, families are given the opportunity to share memories of those loved ones whose names have recently been inscribed on the memorial garden walls.
Application for Engraving
Please fill out this Memorial Garden Application Form (PDF) to have your loved one's name memorialized in the garden. Any Shir Hadash member in good standing can place a name on the wall. A non-member can only place the name of a deceased Shir Hadash congregant on the Memorial Wall.
You can reserve a space for someone who is not yet deceased. The donor will be responsible for notifying the Committee when the name can be placed on the wall. We would strongly encourage the donor to insert language in their will informing the executor to notify the Shir Hadash Memorial Committee of the selection of the name and dates of designed honoree. If this issue is relevant to you, please contact the Memorial Committee for more detailed guidance.
Please review the Shir Hadash Memorial Garden FAQ (PDF) for answers to common questions.
About the Artists
Richard Deutsch from Davenport, California. Richard has several pieces on the campus of Stanford University and on Applied Material's corporate campus. One of his most notable works is at the Oakland City Center. He is a sculptor and a stone worker. Richard is extremely excited to be a part of this project and on a personal level finds it most appealing to his Jewish Heritage.
Larry Kirkland, a California native, who now makes his home in Washington, D. C. Larry is internationally renowned in the field of public art. His magnificent public works can be found at major universities, corporations, travel centers and government buildings around the globe.
Hebrew on the Memorial Garden Wall
The Hebrew words on the wide central Wall section — T'hiyena Nafshoteichem Tz'rurot Betzrur HaChayim — mean: “May Their Souls be Bound Up in the Bonds of (Enduring) Life.” The five initial letters are traditionally placed on Jewish gravestones. The key root-words are Nefesh (soul), Tz-rur (bound) and Chayim (life).
On the reverse side of the pathway stone benches are the words Menuchah Nechonah, which means “Perfect Peace,” as in the peace of the dead, and Shalom, which means “Peace,” but is also a greeting, both in meeting and in leave-taking.